Epilogue

Third Person POV – 3 months later.

A faint rustling behind her had Rose awake in an instant and instinctively tensing in fear. She gripped the soft duvet tightly in her fists, bracing herself, until she was met with the familiar sound of Dimitri mumbling to himself in his native language as he went about his morning. Immediately, her brief fear and anxiety diminished, replaced with contentment and safety once her mind and body recalibrated.

Three months on from Nathan's death, it wasn't often that Rose woke up frightened. Only on the rare occasion did it take a minute to register where she was, and she would wake in a panic, anticipating his cold touch.

But she was home, she wasn't there. They had killed him, and she was safe.

With a small stretch, she rolled over in the bed, facing towards the centre of the bedroom. Having just dressed himself and tied his dark hair back to the nape of his neck, Dimitri turned back towards the love of his life laying content in their bed. A wide grin crept onto his face, a natural instinct whenever faced with Rose's beauty. He thought Rose never looked more beautiful than when she had just woken up, her thick hair all tousled across the pillows and eyes sparkling from their rest - although Rose would adamantly disagree.

"Good morning Roza," Dimitri greeted, walking over to the bed and squatting down so the pair were face to face.

"Morning, Comrade," Rose replied sleepily, before their lips met in a gentle kiss. "Why are you dressed? Where are you going?"

"Christian asked if I'd help him train a new group of Moroi today," he explained, reaching out and brushing her wild hair away from her face.

Despite everything that had happened over the recent months, the campaign for Moroi to fight alongside their guardians had managed to continue, ultimately resulting in favour of the Moroi using their magic if they wish to do so. This meant that wave after wave of new Moroi needed to be trained in using offensive and defensive magic, and with Christian leading the training, Dimitri found himself working more often than usual.

Frowning deeply, Rose huffed.

"But it's our day off!"

"I know Roza, I'm sorry," Dimitri apologised, knowing Rose valued their time off together immensely. But today was no normal day, and Dimitri had a lot of work to do to prepare. "I'll see you later though, and it'll be worth it, I promise."

"What will?" Rose asked, growing confused at Dimitri's words. Honestly, there was no doubting that Dimitri and Yeva were related, considering how cryptic he could be sometimes.

Ignoring her questions, Dimitri leant back on his heels and pushed himself to stand at full height, turning to look for his shoes.

"What are you going to do today?" He asked nonchalantly, hoping to distract Rose from the disappointment of their lost day off.

"Hmm, not sure," Rose sighed, propping herself up in the bed and leaning back against the pillows. A cheeky grin found its way onto her face. "I had planned to spend the day in bed with you, but…" she added, seductively.

Dimitri chuckled and rolled his eyes, knowing Rose was only trying to entice him back into bed so that he wouldn't leave for the day. Finding his shoes, he slipped them on before grabbing his leather duster off the hook on the wall.

"I might go to the gym and work out later, I suppose," Rose said, realising her attempts were a lost cause.

"That's good. You should go earlier rather than later though, I remember seeing that the gym is booked for something later."

"Annoying," Rose scoffed. "I'll go soon then. I'll see if Adrian wants to hang out after. When will you be home?" She asked, grabbing her phone and composing a message to Adrian. She hadn't seen her friend in a while now, and they were definitely long overdue a catch up.

"Not sure, I'll let you know, though," Dimitri shrugged, tugging his duster onto his shoulders. His phone buzzed from on top of his bedside table, and he swiftly picked it up before Rose saw who it was. Thankfully, she was still preoccupied with her own phone.

"I should go. I'll see you later, Roza."

With a gentle kiss to the top of her head, Dimitri said goodbye before making his way out of the apartment, leaving Rose to get ready for her own day.

"So, are you ready Son?"

"I've been ready for a long time, Abe. I can't wait any longer."

Dimitri felt slightly sick as he sat across from Abe, on what would possibly the most important day of his life so far. Unable to sit still, Dimitri's leg bounced autonomously below the table. The hustle and bustle of the café around the two men did nothing but add to the headache caused by the intense nerves he felt. For weeks he had been quietly confident, yet when the day finally came, he felt so anxious he could burst.

"I'm surprised you've waited this long, actually. When you spoke to me a few weeks ago I thought you'd ask her there and then," Abe joked with a smirk, taking a sip of his coffee. Dimitri had barely touched his own drink, nervously stirring the hot liquid over and over.

Ever the gentleman, Dimitri had sought Abe's permission for his daughter's hand. He had known for a long time now that he wanted to, needed to, marry Rose – his life wouldn't quite be complete until he was able to call her his wife. Dimitri had started to broach the subject with Abe months back, when Rose was in the hospital, but this conversation was hastily cut short when Rose came back into consciousness. Not one month later, on a day when Rose was working, he had asked to meet Abe in the hopes of continuing their discussion. Having prepared almost an entire speech to convince Abe for his blessing, Dimitri was shocked when he barely made it through the first sentence before receiving a 'yes'.

Dimitri chuckled. "I wanted to make sure it was perfect. She deserves the best."

"That she does," Abe agreed. "So, tonight?"

"Yes. I'm meeting Christian in a bit to set up," he explained, his leg still shaking and drink still untouched. Abe could see that the young man was almost at his wits end – it was almost laughable, how nervous he was. The older man knew that his nerves were unnecessary, however. If he was certain of anything in his life, it was that the love his daughter held for Dimitri Belikov was blinding. It was unrivalled by anything. They had faced test after test, been through so much in a few short years, and yet their love remained strong.

"Did you pick out the ring?" He asked.

"Not yet. I thought Rose might like to pick out her own."

Dimitri had spent a few disastrous evenings researching ring after ring, looking through brochure after brochure, but he couldn't find anything that seemed 'right'. It seemed ridiculous – it was just a ring, after all - but when it came to Rose, he felt that she deserved the world, and nothing matched that expectation. He had even consulted Christian, thinking perhaps that he could help him on his endeavour, but this was unsurprisingly just as disastrous as looking on his own.

"Well, actually, I had an idea," Abe stated, leaning forward in his chair slightly. "You don't have to agree, it was just a thought."

Abe reached into a deep pocket of his not uncharacteristically vibrant coat jacket, before pulling out a delicate velvet box and placing it in front of Dimitri. Curiously, Dimitri raised an eyebrow, reaching out and inspecting the artefact. Opening it slowly, his eyes widened as he saw what was inside.

A modest sized, square, halo diamond set amongst smaller diamonds and intricate white gold patterning stared back at him. The most perfect ring he'd ever seen – it almost had Rose's name written all over it.

Dimitri was speechless.

"I bought this ring for Janine, many years ago. I never got around to giving it to her before things ended between us," Abe explained. "Sometimes I wonder how different things would be if I had mustered up the courage to propose… If you want, you can have it for Rose."

Dimitri looked up at the man in front of him, silently shocked by the kindness being offered. "Abe, it's gorgeous," Dimitri said. "I think she'll love it, thank you."

"It's nothing, don't mention it," Abe shrugged.

"Don't mention it?" Dimitri chuckled. "This is a kindness I don't deserve."

Having just finished her workout at the gym, Rose regained her breath and took a swig from her water bottle as she sat idly waiting on a bench for Adrian. With Dimitri's revelation that the gym would be occupied later, Rose had left to complete her work out sooner rather than later, and planned to spend the rest of the day catching up with Adrian.

Ten minutes later, Rose was starting to grow impatient, when Adrian finally showed up.

"You're late," Rose scowled, standing up from her seat on the bench. Adrian grinned and wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug.

"Had to make sure I looked good for you, Little Dhampir," he chuckled. "Although I'm not sure why it took me so long this time, it doesn't take much for me to look so drop dead gorgeous these days."

Rose scoffed and rolled her eyes, pushing him away with a chuckle. Adrian winked before draping a friendly arm around her shoulders, leading her down the road towards a small coffee shop.

"Ugh, Adrian why are we here?" Rose asked once they arrived at their destination, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You know I prefer the one near my apartment."

"Yes, but I like this one better," Adrian replied, not to mention he had no idea whether Belikov and Mazur were still there…

Rose huffed in mock protest, but chose a table for them nevertheless, as Adrian ordered at the counter. Returning with their drinks, he offered her a warm smile.

"So Little Dhampir, how are you doing?" He asked, placing Rose's hot chocolate in front of her. She immediately grabbed her spoon, and began tackling the mound of whipped cream on top without hesitation.

"Doing good," she managed to say between spoonfuls. "I'm a bit sweaty from my workout but that's to be expected. I should have brought a change of clothes with me."

In a rare moment of seriousness, Adrian glared at her over his own cup as he took a sip. "You know what I mean. How are you doing?"

Rose sighed as she finished off the last of her cream. She knew that Adrian worried about her, and she would be forever thankful for his help over the previous months, but she also felt bad for his concern. "I'm honestly fine," she stated. "Actually, I'm really good. I'm less anxious now, I've noticed."

"That's good."

"I mean, I still wake up disoriented sometimes. It's like my mind needs a minute to catch up, and I think I'm back with – with Nathan," she explained, involuntarily shuddering slightly at the memory. "But it doesn't happen very often now, and when it does it doesn't take as long before I realise where I am and the panic goes away."

"Well, I'm glad you're getting better, Rose," Adrian said cheerfully. "You know I'm always here for you, though."

"Of course I do. You proved that when I was missing."

Content that Rose was okay, Adrian smiled, before turning the conversation to lighter matters.

"So, how're things with you and Belikov now?" He asked.

"Good. There's no secrets anymore. After everything that happened, we're making sure to talk to each other," Rose answered, sipping on her drink. She furrowed her brows before continuing, "although he has been a bit strange this week."

"Strange?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "He's been coming home a bit later than usual, spending a lot more time with Christian. I think they're up to something but he won't tell me what."

Adrian chuckled inwardly. "It's probably just because of the new law. You know how many Moroi have signed up for training."

"Hmm, I suppose."

The pair sat chatting for a while, catching up on their lives over the last couple of weeks. Rose enjoyed the time to just relax and spend time with a friend, without dwelling on the past or thinking about her many tasks and responsibilities she had piling up as Lissa's head Guardian – and believe her, there were a lot.

Both Adrian and Rose had just finished their drinks, with Rose contemplating whether she wanted a donut, when in the corner of her eye she noticed a group of young Moroi women staring at her from a table across the room. With her acute hearing, there was no doubt that they were whispering about her. Although this had become the normal for Rose, it still bothered her nonetheless, and she resented the rumours and gossip spread about her daily.

That she had been missing was no secret, and it was still a topic of heated conversation in every corner of Court. The situation had never been publically discussed, of course – why would it? But this didn't stop the train of rumours floating around. Some people guessed the truth, although this was a limited group – the majority of gossip was false. The most ridiculous rumour Rose had heard in the last couple of months being that she and Christian had started an affair, before accidentally falling pregnant. The Queen Vasilisa had apparently banished her from Court, where she had an abortion before crawling back and begging for forgiveness!

Noticing Rose's despondent glare, Adrian followed her eye line until he saw what, or who, she was staring at. He sighed, knowing how much the rumours could affect his friend. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

While Rose would usually not give in to the gossip and the staring, today she didn't want to deal with it. With a nod of agreement, the pair stood up and headed towards the door, both taking a moment to display their middle fingers towards the offending group, and with a chuckle, they left.

Adrian and Rose preoccupied themselves for the rest of the day, stopping by to see Lissa for a short while until Rose needed to head home. She was half way home when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Stopping in her tracks, she pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Dimitri:

I'm done with Christian for the day. Did you want to meet me at the gym and spar for a bit? Usual studio. I'll make up for missing our day off x

Rose sighed, her body already starting to feel achy from her own workout earlier that morning. She texted back quickly:

I'll meet you back at home, Comrade. Isn't the gym booked anyways? x

It's not anymore, I'm here now. Please, Roza? x, came his reply not two seconds later.

Rose sighed again, her muscles killed and she felt tired, but she loved sparring with Dimitri, and she did want to spend time with him after all…

Sending a quick text agreeing to meet him at the gym, Rose turned on her heels and started in the direction of the gym. She already knew that she wasn't going to win any matches this evening – how unfair of Dimitri to suggest sparring when he knew for a fact she'd already worked out not long ago. She chuckled to herself as she walked, thinking that maybe that had been Dimitri's plan all along – it had been a while since Dimitri had beat her in a sparring session.

When Rose finally reached the gym, she was met with a sign on the door that hadn't been there earlier that morning – Closed for a private function.

But Dimitri just said he was here, hadn't he? Confused, Rose huffed and pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Dimitri to check he was actually there. Her annoyance only grew when she didn't receive a reply. If this was some sort of joke, it was very odd and not very funny – although she did find occasionally that Dimitri had a very strange sense of humour. After a minute or so, she sighed and put her phone away. She could just go in and see if he was there – she could always just apologise if she interrupted whatever function was taking place anyway.

Pushing through the door, she was met with complete silence. There was no sign of anybody in the building whatsoever. Her brows furrowed as she made her way through the gym, her confusion growing. Bypassing the main room with the weights and equipment, Rose headed to one of the smaller studios that she and Dimitri often trained in during their days off.

When she reached the studio, she hesitantly opened the door and walked in, instantly speechless by what she found before her. Unable to move in surprise, she took in the sight before her.

The room was lit by a warm glow from hundreds of candles filling the room. White and red flower petals littered the floor, and soft music echoed in the background. In the middle of the space stood a tall, handsome man, his long, dark hair tied back by his neck and wearing a suit that did nothing to hide his muscular frame.

Dimitri.

"Um, hello?" Rose managed to say, slowly edging closer to the centre of the room where the love of her life stood before her, his expression full of love and adoration.

"I couldn't find anywhere suitable to do this where we could be in private," Dimitri said, reaching out and twirling a strand of her hair around his fingers once she reached him. "I didn't want to just do it at home because that didn't quite seem grand enough."

Butterflies swarmed Rose's belly as she looked up into his dark, dazzling eyes. Her confusion had only increased tenfold when she entered the room.

"Find anywhere to do what? What's going on?" she asked.

With a wide grin, Dimitri took Rose's hand in his and bent down onto one knee before her, earning a shocked gasp escaping her lips as she looked down at him. Any nerves he had been feeling earlier had dissipated the moment she stepped in the room – this was exactly what he wanted, there were no need for nerves.

"Roza, I know you're not twenty yet but it's not long until you are and quite frankly I don't care," he began. "I almost lost you. If I'm honest I completely lost myself in that time and I didn't see the point in living in world where you weren't in it. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, protecting you, loving you, worshipping you."

Realisation hit Rose like a tonne of bricks, and she stepped back slightly in awe, causing Dimitri to raise his eyebrow.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Dimitri, I'm in my workout gear!"

"So?"

"So you could have told me to wear something nice before you do this!"

Dimitri chuckled, before taking her hand in his once more.

"I think you look perfect," he stated, influencing Rose to scoff and cheekily roll her eyes. She opened her mouth to protest, but knowing her too well, Dimitri interrupted. "Will you just let me finish, please?"

Rose took a deep breath. This was the last thing she had expected to happen tonight. Nevertheless, she nodded and stepped closer.

"I've known for a long time that I want to be married to you. I want to spend my life proving to you how much I love you. I want to be able to call you my wife - Mrs Hathaway-Belikova. I swear, I was going to wait for a little bit longer - like I promised - but in the time that you were missing, I honestly thought I'd missed my chance. I wasn't sure you'd come back to me. I don't ever want to miss my chance again. So, Roza, will you please do me the honour of being my wife?"

His wife.

Mrs Belikova.

Rose had been adamant that she was too young, that she wanted to wait until she was older – far, far into her twenties – and yet, standing here now, nothing had ever felt more right. She loved Dimitri, and she wanted to marry him and be his wife. Not just boyfriend and girlfriend. Not just partners...

Husband and wife.

Like Dimitri, her months of torment had affected her greatly, and Dimitri had been on her mind the entire time. She felt as though she had disappointed him, that he wouldn't want her anymore, but the thing that scared her most was the possibility of never seeing him again – of not being able to express just how much she loved him.

Making her decision, a wide grin spread over her face as tears began to settle behind her eyes. Slowly, she nodded.

Dimitri's own smile matched hers at her answer. "You'll marry me?"

"Yes."

Dimitri stood to full height, grabbing her tightly by the waist and crushed his lips to hers. With a soft giggle, Rose wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back eagerly. Both of their hearts felt like they could burst, and their happiness soared.

He squeezed her tightly before breaking their embrace, kissing her gently on the top of her head. Reaching into his suit pocket, he brought out the velvet box given to him earlier by Abe. He opened it slowly and turned it towards Rose, who let out a gasp at what was, quite frankly, the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

"Is that –"

"For you, yes."

Rose could no longer hold back her tears and, silently, the little droplets fell down her cheeks.

"I take it you like it? I hope?" Dimitri asked, slightly worried that she wouldn't.

"Dimitri… I love it."

By the time the two of them had made it practically two steps into their apartment, the pair found their clothes strewn haphazardly across the floor, their hands eagerly wondering each other's bodies as their tongues danced together in a familiar embrace. Dimitri had Rose backed against the wall, one hand tangled in her hair while the other explored, grabbed, caressed any part of her he could find.

Rose couldn't help but squirm beneath his touch, relishing in the intense pleasure he brought her. It had taken a while for them to find a place in their relationship where they could be physical again, after everything that happened but, after that first time, there was no stopping them. With Dimitri, Rose felt safe. Everything he did was for her pleasure and any bad thoughts she may have had went swiftly out the window. He worshipped her – she wasn't some object who he claimed to 'love', yet left bruises and scars all across her body... All he left were kisses, and lingering jolts of passionate electricity as his fingers explored her skin.

Eventually they made it to the bedroom, and it wasn't long before Dimitri had his tongue buried between her folds, lapping expertly at her core. One hand clutching the sheets beneath her, the other gripping the back of his head, Rose was already so close and they had barely even begun.

"Fuck, Dimitri!" she cried out, as she edged closer and closer to orgasm.

Knowing exactly what she wanted, Dimitri pushed two fingers inside of her, stroking the sweet spot inside of her as his tongue continued its ministrations on her clit. Sending her over the edge, Rose lost all control, bucking her hips as the pleasure washed over her in wave after wave.

It wasn't enough, however – she needed him, badly.

"Please, Dimitri…" she whimpered.

His desire matched hers, and he wanted nothing more than to be buried inside of her warmth as soon as possible; there was nothing in the world like it, no pleasure rivalled it. Being with Rose felt like coming home.

Knowing what she wanted, Dimitri made his way back up the bed, wasting no time in attaching their lips once more, his length pressed eagerly against her entrance. In a smooth motion, he entered her slowly until she was filled to the hilt. With a groan, Dimitri took a moment to relish in the feel of his Roza.

"Ебать, Roza," he grunted. "You're amazing."

As he started moving, Rose moaned beneath him, clutching tightly at his back as her legs locked around his waist. Dimitri was in no rush, however, wanting to draw out their pleasure for as long as possible. He planned to spend hour after hour driving his Fiancée wild…

"I can't believe we're getting married, it's crazy," Rose chuckled, admiring her sparkling ring as she lay tangled in Dimitri's arms. "Actually, I can't believe you proposed to me in the gym!"

"Are you disappointed?" Dimitri asked, suddenly concerned that Rose didn't like it.

Rose chuckled, "no, it's just not what I imagined you'd do. It was perfect."

Any concern Dimitri had faded away, replaced with utter contentment – the woman of his dreams, lying in his embrace, wearing his ring and set to be his wife. He couldn't think of anything more perfect.

"I thought you wouldn't want a huge public affair," he explained, gently playing with the locks of Rose's hair splayed across his chest. "I tried to think of somewhere that meant a lot to us. We've spent a lot of time in gyms during our relationship."

"That we have," Rose agreed. "Did Christian help you with the decoration?"

"Of course."

"And let me guess, they all knew your plan?"

Rose would bet anything that Lissa knew, considering Christian played his part in the whole thing. And she was willing to bet that Adrian did as well, and therefore Eddie, too. Baba obviously knew, seeing as she knew that Dimitri, ever the traditionalist, would have sought his permission beforehand.

"Mhmm."

"Dammit. I hate not having the bond anymore!" she exclaimed.

Dimitri chuckled to himself. "It would have ruined the surprise."

"I suppose," Rose settled, pushing herself up off the bed slightly to better see her Fiancé. "I'm sad we missed our day off though," she added with a mock pout.

"Well actually, you're not going back to work for another two weeks. I cleared it with Vasilisa," Dimitri revealed, a smirk settling on his face at Rose's confusion.

"What do you mean?"

His smirk widened into a grin, and he too sat up further in their bed. Leaning across, he opened the drawer next to his bedside and began rummaging around. When he found what he was looking for, he handed it over to Rose, instructing her to open the envelope.

"These arrived a few days ago," he explained. "Babushka sent them. I think she knew what I had planned."

As Rose pulled out the contents of the envelope, her face lit up, causing Dimitri's heart to swell at the sight of her clear happiness.

Plane tickets to Russia.

"We're going to Russia again?!" Rose exclaimed, practically bouncing in the bed from her excitement.

Dimitri nodded, and Rose wasted no time in attaching her lips to his, showing her appreciation with soft kisses. When they pulled away, a worried look crept its way onto Rose's face.

"Do you think they'll be happy that we're engaged?" she asked. Rose undoubtedly adored the Belikovas, and she only hoped that they would accept her into their family. Of course, this worry was unwarranted, considering how much they doted over her each time she had visited.

"Of course they will. They'll be over the moon," Dimitri attempted to dispel her concerns. "Just like I am."

"I am too," Rose stated. And she really was. In just a few short months, her entire life had been turned upside down – she had been broken, to the point that she didn't think she could come back from it and yet, right now, she could honestly say that she had never felt happier.

"I love you, Comrade."

"I love you more, Roza."

The End.

Well, that's it! I can't believe this is the end of Primal Desires! I have had so much fun writing this, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it and following the journey.

If you're interested, you can follow this link for a picture of Rose's ring described in this chapter: imgur (dot com) /a/pEza682

or you can head over to my facebook page HWrites0108 to see photos there.

Thank you so much for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed this final chapter. Please remember to review and let me know what you think, for one final time!

Hx